Stardust
by akeboshi shiba
Summary: It was all in the stardust they saw. In the stardust, she was there, even when she the stardust that trailed behind the goddess, Oki saw her. In the stardust,Issun saw her. In the stardust,Waka predicted a love meant to be. In the stardust she was the wolf they saw. In the stardust, she led them to her, because, without their help, she would be nothing more than stardust.
1. Chapter 1

Issun stared up at the night sky his heart heavy, he hadn't wanted to leave his furry friend alone, but she had needed to fulfill her destiny on her own. He searched the sky for the oh-so-familiar wolf constellation he prayed to every night. It has been a year since she departed on the Ark of Yamato. A flash flew across the sky and he closed his eyes and wished upon the shooting star. When it vanished he made his way to Kamiki Village, not wanting to sit and simmer in his sorrows any longer. He had made his home in Kamiki Village. It wasn't much to human eyes, but inside the sacred tree of Sakuya, there was a tiny little single Poncle village. Sakuya had allowed him to stay there having felt sorry for the loss of their friend. Issun removed the bug hat from his head and set it by his bedside as Sakuya made her presence known.

"Darkness still cloaks the land Issun; do you think that she may return one day?" She asked and sat in a small hand carved chair Issun had made from her tree. Issun shrugged and looked up at her. "Who knows…the fur ball may be Happy where she is and never come back. After all she is with pretty boy in the celestial plain. I kinda figured those two would hit it off if they were left alone." Issun said with a small halfhearted laugh. Sakuya laughed behind her hand lightly. "I guess so, seeing as they used to be companions in the celestial plain…but didn't he say something about her returning here once the celestial plain was restored to its former glory?" Sakuya asked and Issun nodded.

"Did you see that shooting star tonight?" Issun asked, swapping topics trying to avoid getting himself upset. Sakuya smiled and nodded. "I wished upon the star in hopes of Amaterasu returning home one day." Sakuya said and Issun looked at her skeptically. "She is home, Sakuya…that's where she was born…" he said and Sakuya fiddled with her fingers with tears in her eyes. "Her home is where her heart is, albeit a stubborn heart, it will lead her home." Sakuya said and Issun raised his hands to try and stop her from crying, but it didn't help and she began sobbing into her hands.

"Sakuya, babe! Quit crying! You make perfect sense! She will come home someday! It just takes time to restore an entire civilization…" Issun said and Sakuya sniffled and looked at him. He looked relieved when she stopped crying. "I will see you tomorrow alright, Sakuya? I'm tired from being a celestial envoy all day." He said and she nodded. "Good night Issun." She said and vanished from sight. Issun lay in his bed wondering what tomorrow was going to bring.

He woke early and began making his way around the village. Susano and Kushi were busy with their son, who, taking after his father wanted to mess with his father's blade. "Issun, have you heard?" Kushi asked and Issun hopped onto her shoulder and bounced up and down eagerly awaiting the news she was withholding. "Have I heard what?" he asked and she smiled." Someone from Sei-an city claims to have spotted Ammy-sama." Kushi said and Issun yelled in delight. He hopped off her shoulder and made his way straight out towards the border of Kamiki Village. Sakuya appeared before him as he passed the Sakura trees just outside of Kamiki Village. "So you heard the rumor as well? I told you she would return home. I knew she would. My heart yearns to see her!" Sakuya said and Issun grinned. "I'm going to go see if the rumors are true." He said and she smiled.

"Be careful Issun, it is still dangerous to roam Nippon." She said and Issun rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know babe. Those demon scroll still won't go away and there are still devil gates around." He said offhandedly and she frowned, but vanished from sight all the same. He bounced away happily going to go see if the rumors were true. He managed to find a bird he could communicate with, the long legged Heron flew him straight to Sei-an, but left him there to find a way home. He talked to everyone there but the only rumors he heard of were those of a black haired man from Kamui searching for a sword and one of a pure white samurai woman. He sighed and made the devastating trip back to Kamiki Village.

Sakuya appeared to him the moment he entered Kamiki Village. "Issun…have you brought any news on our dear friend?" she asked and he shook his head. She frowned and he sighed. "I have decided to travel again… maybe I will meet up with her someday… I will visit you, I promise. But I just need to travel. I don't very much like being cooped up here all the time. I think I may visit my home village…" he said and she nodded. "I will see you soon, little bug." She said and he didn't even get mad when she called him that. He was too devastated to do much else.

The frigid weather was something he wasn't accustomed to anymore, he realized as he entered Kamui. He entered the first house he came to, which happened to be the one he had entered with Ammy the last time he was here. He sat in front of the fire and warmed himself. He heard a wolfish snort and a shuffle behind him. He turned around and saw Ammy laying there. "Ammy-" he began, but the image of her vanished and his hopes died. He sighed and turned around only to realize there was no fire here. He had imagined it along with Ammy. He used the inferno brush technique to light a fire by using a lantern that was lit across the way.

He warmed himself and sighed. "Get a grip, Issun." He scolded himself. "She is gone. She isn't coming back." He growled to himself, and his heart sank as the words he had said echoed through his mind. He wasn't as good as she was with the brush techniques, but he would get there. He would show her that he was just as good as she was. He fell asleep by the fire and dreamt of the adventure he'd had with her. Those may have been some of the scariest times of his life, but it was all worth it. All because she had been there, because Ammy had been his loyal friend.

Elsewhere….

Oki sighed as yet another weapons' merchant held no information on the blade he was after. They told him that the sword had chosen its master already and hadn't been in the possession of a merchant in nearly a hundred years. He sighed and changed into his wolf form. He made his way from Sei-an city to travel back to Shinsu Field. He was treading through Agata Forest when he heard that familiar howl. He had frozen where he stood and looked atop the ledge and the snow white wolf stood atop the cliff ledge, her brilliant red markings and blue main divine instrument and her green second divine instrument making her a wondrous sight. She was dangerously beautiful as the moon cast its light upon her.

He quickly made his way up to where she was only for her image to fade away. He reached out but the image faded. He frowned slightly; he could have sworn that she had been there. He sighed and changed back into his wolf form. He jumped off the Cliffside and made his way to the edge of Agata Forest. A flash of white and a familiar scent caught his attention. He chased the blur of white straight through Shinsu Field and into Kamui. The blur of white vanished right into his home. He reverted back to human and swept away the thick covering on his door. There was a fire lit inside and he saw a familiar little green Poncle asleep in front of the fire.

He walked around the fire and sat on the other side, but not before he carefully picked up the Poncle and placed him on a blanket a few feet from the fire. He removed the mask from his face and rubbed his temples. He folded one leg under him while the other was propped up in front of him and his arm rested on it. His deep red bangs fell over his eyes and he felt as if everything he was doing was hopeless…as if letting her go on that ark had been a mistake. He felt sorry for Issun, who had been with her much longer than he had. But she had saved his life, even though he hadn't realized Shiranui was Amaterasu at first, he learned that she had in fact been the great white wolf who had slain Orochi the first time.

She had saved him, and instead of waiting for her wounds to heal, she had fought Orochi and died. He heard the story of it all from Issun. She was resurrected and everyone called her Ammy. Issun withheld all his pained emotions just to tell the tale of how Shiranui was in fact Amaterasu, and Amaterasu was in fact a goddess. Anyone could see how much the envoy adored his furry friend. His ears twitched at the sound of tiny sobs. He looked over at the envoy and his eyes softened when he realized that it was Issun who was crying. Issun rolled towards Oki and Oki sighed. He transformed into his wolf form and placed Issun atop his snout. Issun's pained cries became nonexistent. Oki looked outside at the sky and saw the stars twinkle in the wolf constellation. The constellation twinkled and he furrowed his brow. Oki didn't think much more of it and tucked his head between his paws and drifted off to sleep.

The morning came faster than Issun thought it would. He rubbed his eyes and found he was a lot warmer than he figured he would be. It clicked in his mind that he was surrounded in wolf fur. He looked down expecting to see pure white fur surrounding him but the devastation came when he saw inky black fur with red mixed in, in certain places. He sighed then it hit him that he was on a black and red wolf. "Oki?" he asked surprised. The black wolf grunted and cracked a single eye open. Issun dropped off the head of the fearsome Oina Tribe male.

Oki changed back into his human form and lay on his back, his mask once again covering his face. He had his arms under his head using them as a pillow. "Issun." Oki's deep voice rang out, shaking Issun with its deep rumble. Issun bounced away from Oki, so that they could talk without Oki making him suffer an earthquake. "Yeah?" Issun asked and Oki's eyes drifted to him. "Why have you once again invaded my home?" he asked and Issun laughed nervously. "I was on my way to see gramps…and I got stuck out here alone in the cold. Oki nodded in understanding and all was silent for a while. Until Oki rolled on his side so he could look at the tiny Poncle.

"You saw her too didn't you?" he asked, his head propped up on one arm. Issun was confused until he got what Oki was saying. "Ammy? Yeah…I saw her when I got here. I thought there was a fire going, but there wasn't. I heard something behind me and I turned and…I saw Ammy curled up… then she was gone, just like that…" Issun said and Oki made a noise signaling he had heard. "Why do you ask?" Issun asked finally, looking up at Oki. "You were crying in your sleep…and I saw her too." Oki said and rolled to lie on his back. "I was on my way back here when I heard her howl. I looked up and saw her sitting atop a ledge in Agata Forest. I made my way to her and when I reached out to her, she vanished." Oki said and Issun sighed.

"So the Oina Tribe male everyone was gossiping about was you?" Issun asked and Oki shrugged. "I was searching for the sacred sword, Tsukuyomi. They say it is the sword that Nagi slew Orochi with." Oki said and Issun nodded. "It is, but Ammy has…had it. She doesn't have it anymore." Issun said and Oki looked at him and sighed. "So no one knows where it is?" he asked and Issun nodded. "Why do you seek it?" Issun asked curiously. "A new demon has shown itself, if only briefly. It looks like the goddess but a five tailed wolf." Oki said and Issun looked at him. "There was one demon we fought. He called himself nine tails, he was a fox that looked like Ammy but was a false god." Issun said and stood.

"Well I guess I should get going then…" Issun said and Oki raised a brow at him. "I seek not only the sword, Issun. I seek the goddess that wielded it." Oki said and Issun froze in his tracks. "You mean you seek Ammy? What for?" he asked. "The same reason you seek her. She was a companion that made an impact on my life and I was saddened to see her leave." Oki said and Issun drew his sword. "Then we will search the ends of this world until we find her!" he said and pointed it straight towards the sun that was somewhat hidden behind clouds and falling snow. "I would feel guilty if something had happened to her because I allowed her to board the ark alone…" Oki said and Issun turned towards him.

"I couldn't board the ark. I wasn't allowed to, and I doubt you would have been allowed to do so as well. We just have to find her." Issun said and a familiar chuckle from the doorway caught Issun's attention. "Bonjour, my little bouncing friend." Waka's voice rang out. "Waka…" Issun grumbled. "What a pleasant mood you were in…where did that go?" Waka asked and Issun grumbled more. "Prophet, why have you come here?" Oki asked sitting cross legged in front of the fire. "Ah, a fine question indeed. You see, I am missing a certain someone and I cannot seem to find her. I believe you two could find this person faster than I could…" Waka said and Oki raised a brow.

"As you know, a certain snow colored wolf left with me to the celestial plain." Waka said and Issun growled. "Get on with it you two bit prophet!" he growled. Waka sniffed and went back to what he was saying. "As I was saying. A certain wolf left with me. She was in the celestial plain until yesterday and now I cannot find her anywhere. I'm afraid she is missing. The celestial plain is restored and she was due to return to the mortal world, but she is gone, and there are no white wolves in the celestial plain, or here in the mortal world. I cannot see where she has gone." Waka said and Oki sat up straight. "So you are asking us to find her?" he asked and Waka nodded.

"I see…and do you have any helpful prophecies for us, Waka?" Issun asked sarcastically. Waka nodded at this. "In fact, I do my tiny bouncing friend! Thank you for asking." He said and he cleared his throat. "The woman in white knows what you seek." Waka said and Issun was about to complain when Waka vanished. Oki sighed and looked to Issun. "The woman in white?" he asked and Issun shrugged. "I guess we will just have to search for this woman in white." Issun said and Oki nodded. Issun was about to step outside when he slapped himself in the forehead. "The woman in white! There is a samurai travelling throughout Nippon, the pure white samurai, they call her." Issun said and Oki raised a brow.

"So we seek out a female warrior?" Oki asked and Issun nodded. "I am guessing that is what the woman in white means." Issun said and Oki nodded and changed into wolf form and allowed Issun to sit atop his head. "I guess we get to adventure now huh?" Issun asked with a small laugh and Oki grunted. "You know, Ammy never even acknowledged me as I spoke…you actually reply…" Issun said and Oki huffed. "Sheesh, that ain't a bad thing, at least you let me know you are listening." Issun said and Oki made a growling sound. "Alright alright I will be quiet sheesh, just for a little while though." Issun grumbled.


	2. chapter 2

They searched everywhere close to Shinsu Field and even went deep into Agata Forest. Their next search point started at Taka Pass and Oki was still unsure of exactly of where he was going. Oki stopped to rest by the mermaid spring near where he had seen Amaterasu. Issun bounced about Agata Forest while Oki sat and waited for his tiny companion to return. He swiped his paw at the water's surface and watched the ripples vanish into the center. He looked around for his tiny companion, and when he saw no sign of him a wolfish smirk crossed his lips. The woman standing near the spring was soaked when Oki flopped in the spring. He splashed happily until Issun's laughter brought him from his happy splashing. Oki grinned wolfishly as he exited the pond and shook himself dry.

"So you take baths? Ammy hated water." Issun laughed and Oki changed back to human form and ran his hands through his hair. "It is understandable her not wanting to take a bath, she is the goddess of the sun after all…" Oki said and Issun shrugged. "I guess so…" Issun replied as Oki changed back into his wolf form, since he was now dry after his momentary lapse in self-control. He allowed Issun to hop atop his head and he took off towards Sasa Sanctuary. "Someone told me a woman in white went to Sasa Sanctuary. That arch over there, go through it instead of around or you won't be able to go in." Issun said and Oki turned and walked under the old arch. The wall before him disappeared and he stood there astonished, as if he hadn't expected it to vanish before his eyes.

His nose crumpled when he felt the sand in between his toes, this was a new feeling for him. He grunted and Issun laughed. "The sand? Yeah it's always annoying when it gets between your toes." Issun said and Oki huffed. Ok approached the gate and the sparrows tweeted excitedly. "Issun! You bring a new wolf companion?" the one on the left asked and the one on the right chirped excitedly. "No! This here is Oki, from the Oina Tribe." Issun said and Oki transformed back into his human form and the birds chirped loudly in their awe. "An Oina Tribe member? I heard they were a legend!" the one on the right chirped and Oki raised a brow. "Legend? Why would my tribe be a legend?" he asked and the lead bird chirped. "Oh! The master is…excited!" the one on left chirped. "Because before Ammy and I went to Kamui, no one knew it existed, except me of course. But no one from Nippon knew about the Oina Tribe or the Poncle. They just thought Nippon was all there was." Issun said and the three birds chirped in agreement.

Oki shrugged and made his way into Sasa Sanctuary. He admired the beauty of the place. As they passed by the spring Oki eyed it with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Please don't jump in it, it isn't very deep." A female voice sighed and Oki looked towards where the voice came from. An older sparrow woman sat on a rock across from the hot spring. "How did you know he was thinking that?" Issun asked curiously. "I saw that very same glint in a woman's eyes before she just made the biggest splash I had ever seen…the woman was odd, she was a warrior. I have never seen a female warrior before." the sparrow chirped. "Where did the woman go?" Issun asked and the sparrow pointed towards the bamboo path.

Oki and Issun hurried along the path and found a woman in white sitting in the center of the circle of bamboo. Her eyes closed and hands folded in her lap as if she were meditating. Issun was left breathless as he watched her. Issun fell from Oki's head and landed with a thump on the ground. The woman spun to her feet. Her legs spaced apart in a fighting stance, her delicate hands ready to pull the blades from their sheathes faster than Oki or Issun could move. She looked at them and her brows knitted together.

The woman looked fierce as Issun studied her features. Her sun kissed skin clashed against her the pure white hair that fell over her shoulders, her red bangs blended in with her eyes. She tossed her head to the side and the bangs swept away to reveal dark red eyes with a lighter red line curving to follow the contour below her eyes and another line lining her eyelid. She wore a sleeveless fighting kimono that was white with a red obi. The kimono was short so she wore red leggings beneath it. Her arms were crossed before her reaching to grab either sword that rested on her hips.

"Whoa, babe. Chill for a moment. Waka sent us to seek you out, he said you would know what the location of the one we seek is." Issun said, but the white haired woman and Oki seemed to want to fight it out instead of talk. She stood to her full height and uncrossed her arms from her chest. Issun coughed and hit the ground once more. "Not only is she hot, she is stacked too." He said from the ground. Oki and the woman sized each other up. Walking in a circle like two predatory animals fighting over territory.

She lunged first, pulling both her swords before Oki could pull his own blade. Oki withdrew his blade and sent ice at her, which she melted just as quickly as it came. Oki smirked and lunged for her, knocking her swords from her grasp and managing to knock her to the ground. "You smell familiar, who are you?" he asked and her red eyes burned into his own. She smiled sadly and reached to touch his face gently. He reached for her but her image shattered and turned into a glimmering dust as the wind blew. Oki shook his head and Issun stood.

"Where'd she go?" he asked and Oki sighed. "She wasn't real, Issun." Oki said simply and Issun fumed. Waka hit the ground laughing lightly to himself. "Waka…"Issun grumbled. "Ah, bonjour my little friend." He said. "So you found the woman in white?" He asked and Oki nodded. "I see… and she vanished before your eyes?" he asked and Oki glared at him. "I will take that as a yes. Tis no issue my half lupine friend!" Waka said and Oki sighed. "The woman in white is a companion of mine, but she is not whole. She is broken. Hmmm. Did she not have what you seek Oki?" Waka asked and Oki shook his head. "No, she did not know the location of Amaterasu." Oki said and Waka shook his head. "The goddess was not the thing you sought; she is the one you seek. The thing you seek lies within the grasp of the woman in white, or does she not have it anymore?" Waka trailed off, more so asking himself than Oki.

Oki thought for a minute then his eyes went wide. "She has Tsukuyomi. The blade I was looking for." Oki said and Issun sighed. "So we must seek her out again?" Issun asked and Waka nodded. "I have a prophecy for you two! In the light of the moon, you will see her soon. In the light of day, she has nothing to say." Waka said and with an au revoir, he was gone. Oki changed back into wolf form and they set out for Sei-an city, they would search for the woman in white later, the sword was not as important as the goddess.

The darkness fell fast as they spoke. Waka had vanished into the darkness leaving them alone to ponder his prophecy. The moon glistened in the night sky. A wolfish whine drew their attention from the moon and stars. Oki and Issun were debating on whether or not to be Happy about seeing the white wolf before them, or skeptical. She stood and took off running. They chased her out of Sasa Sanctuary and straight through the city checkpoint. She skidded to a stop and tossed her head to the sky. The stars twinkled and Issun could hardly make out her constellation.

Before Issun could attempt to place the missing stars in the constellation Amaterasu whined and burst into dust with the wind, leaving only something dark stuck deeply into the ground. Oki and Issun walked over and eyed the object. Oki forced it from the ground and dunked it into the mermaid spring nearby. He carefully washed the dirt from it and sighed. It was Tsukuyomi. The golden crescent shined with the light of the moon. He tied the sword to his back and stood. He looked up to the sky to see her constellation twinkling. He furrowed his brow and allowed Issun to get on his shoulder.

"What do you think this could mean Issun?" Oki asked as they entered the city. Issun had been silent up to this point. "I don't know, but something doesn't seem right. I believe she is trying to contact us somehow, but I don't know. We could just be going insane…" Issun said and Oki snorted lightly. "That may be so, but if we aren't we still have to help her. It looks as if someone has stolen stars from her constellation. More and more vanish every time she appears to us." Oki said and Issun sighed loudly. "I tried to put them back, but before I could she vanished and her constellation had some sort of curse on it because it soaked up my ink like it was nothing but air." Issun said and Oki looked deep in thought for a moment.

"I don't know, but it doesn't feel right, what if the five tails has trapped her in her constellation?" Oki asked and Issun looked at him in wonder. "That could possibly be so…but how do you know about the constellations?" Issun asked and Oki stretched and his shoulders and back popped audibly. "The Oina Tribe has prayed to the wolf constellation since the very beginning. The wolf constellation is what granted us the ability to become wolves. We cherish the wolf constellation because she is the mother of the Oina Tribe." He said and Issun was grinning. "That's incredible." He said and Oki nodded. "Is that why you are so intent on helping me find Ammy?" Issun asked and Oki looked at him.

Issun began jumping up and down eagerly. "Oooh! I know why you want to help! You got that whole wolf mate thing going don't ya!? You want Ammy!" Issun laughed loudly, which ended up him getting thumped off of Oki's shoulder. Issun hit the ground fuming while Oki just ignored him. "I owe her my life Issun. I am the reason she died the first time…" Oki said and Issun stopped ranting. "If I hadn't been so brash and unthinking in trying to kill those demons…she would not have died the first time. I killed her and I am the reason Orochi was able to be reborn, because I killed her and Susano was able to remove the sword. If she hadn't saved me, she would never have died in the first place." Oki said glaring at his fists.

"It was her choice. She would have saved you anyways. She would have saved you, me, Waka, Kushi, and even Susano. There isn't anyone she wouldn't have saved, anyone can tell you that. Amaterasu would give her life a million times over if it kept the darkness at bay…if it kept them safe, she would die a horrible death ten thousand times over." Issun said sadly. Oki grit his teeth loudly. "Why would she do that? Even gods have their limit." He growled and Issun chuckled. "Because she loves each and every being she meets. Sure she spaces out at the worst times, but she would die for us an infinite amount of times until she was sure everyone was safe." Issun said and Oki's tense shoulders relaxed. "Like a mother caring for her children." Oki said wistfully as he stared at the broken constellation one last time before he entered the city inn.

Outside Sei-an city…

"You have made quite the impact on him, ma Cherie. I have but one more question for you, ma Cherie." Waka muttered staring at the see through woman sitting beside him. "Has he made an impact on you?" Waka asked and the white haired woman peered up at him from under her red bangs. "I need help, Waka. I am dying. I need the sun, but trapped where I am trapped, the sun shines not." Her voice hit him like wind and he actually seemed shocked. "So you can speak, ma Cherie. So why not tell them how to save you?" Waka asked and looked at her. "Because, I cannot utter a word of where I am, for I do not know very much. And if I speak of what I do know, I will not make it to morning." She whispered and Waka frowned.

"Yes, Waka, just so you know. That man made an impact on me. Why else would I leave him one of my sacred swords?" her voice drifted to his ears as her visage faded completely. Waka smiled slightly, and watched her drift off as stardust to rejoin with her constellation. "You know, ma Cherie, I made a prediction about you two." He said and her constellation twinkled. "As I said, It takes two to tango." He said with a small chuckle before he began playing his flute once more. The calming sound of his flute echoed into the night and he could have sworn Ammy had made a contented whine before her constellation dulled out to greet midnight.


End file.
